Is it weird to just kind of shrug at the Patrick Kane signing to the Detroit Red Wings?
Maybe. While it makes sense for a variety of reasons, it’s got the chance to not make the impact it would have if it was, say, five years ago.
Why it makes sense, especially for the veteran former Hart Trophy winner: Kane played in Michigan before he was an NHL superstar, it’s close to his hometown of Buffalo, and the assumption is he’ll pair up with Alex DeBrincat, with whom he had some chemistry in Chicago when they were both Blackhawks. Plus, the Red Wings are off to a good start!
Players to score 50+ goals assisted by Patrick Kane:
118 — Jonathan Toews
72 — Alex DeBrincat
62 — Patrick SharpWho had Yzerman reuniting Kane and DeBrincat? pic.twitter.com/gagHtMCPR7
— Big Head Hockey (@BigHeadHcky) November 28, 2023
While it’s a low-risk move to bring in Kane, here’s why it’s meh: The forward wasn’t very good with the New York Rangers last year, including in a playoffs in which he scored just once. He’s 35 and coming off hip surgery, so who knows how effective he’ll be.
Patrick Kane on the Red Wings pic.twitter.com/iOccxs5DC0
— A a r o n (@23sabres) November 28, 2023
But for a young, emerging Red Wings team, it might be a move that gets them a step closer to the postseason. That’s something! It’s just not a huge, game-changing something, and maybe it would have been a bigger something for a more sure contender.
We’ll see.
